Rail passenger traffic – by region 2018-2020

In 2020, passengers traveled just under 24 billion passenger kilometers on railways in the Americas. The region trails behind Europe and APAC.

Urban rail: concerns amid Covid-19

Urban rail, comprising light rail and metropolitan lines, is currently reckoning with financial losses during the Covid-19 crisis – with transit stations encountering significant decreases in ridership due to restrictions in capacity and fewer passengers who are willing to travel.

Metro signaling solutions

The year 2020, despite setbacks triggered by Covid-19, has welcomed developments in signaling solutions across the globe’s metro lines. Thales – one of the world’s market leaders in providing fully automated lines – has signed three urban rail signaling contracts to provide its communications-based train control (CBTC) solution to metro systems in China, South Korea, and Turkey. CBCT, the main signaling solution for fully automated metro lines worldwide, optimizes train speeds to enhance line capacity, cost-effectiveness, and passenger comfort.